ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday rejected the post-arrest bail applications of four suspects arrested in a case involving the alleged illegal purchase and sale of human placentas.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Afzal Majoka announced the reserved verdict after hearing arguments from both sides and dismissed the bail pleas of all four accused.

During the hearing, defence counsel argued that a placenta is not legally considered a human organ and is widely used for medical purposes. The lawyer submitted that placental tissues are also used in regenerative treatments, including certain hair restoration procedures.

At one point during the proceedings, Judge Majoka remarked that he had also undergone a hair transplant and asked whether placental tissue had been used in his procedure.

The defence lawyer responded that different techniques are used for hair transplantation but added that if the relevant regenerative method had been adopted, placental tissue could have been used.

He further argued that organs such as the eyes and kidneys fall within the definition of human organs, while the gallbladder, once surgically removed, is ordinarily disposed of by burial or incineration and is not treated similarly.

In a lighter exchange, Judge Majoka observed that his own placenta had also been removed at birth and remarked that he did not know what had happened to it. The defence counsel then questioned whether the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had previously arrested and prosecuted individuals in similar cases.

Opposing the bail applications, the prosecutor urged the court to reject the pleas, stating that more than 1,000 human placentas had been recovered during the raid and that all four accused were arrested on the spot.

The prosecutor also informed the court that reports of medical experts had been placed on record, supporting the prosecution’s case.

After hearing detailed arguments from both sides, the court reserved its verdict. Later, Judge Majoka pronounced the reserved order, rejecting the post-arrest bail applications of all four accused.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2026